61% of you admit to heating your baby's bottle in the microwave, despite all the warnings against doing so. Standard advice for heating a bottle is to let it sit in a pan of warm water in the sink for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature to avoid hot spots. But according to our Babytalk.com poll, time-pressed moms are nuking anyway.

We asked half a dozen pediatricians and no one was eager to endorse the practice. If you do use a microwave, follow these safety precautions religiously, says Deborah Levine, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine:

Warm the bottle for only about three to five seconds per ounce.

Only use microwave-safe plastic bottles while heating. And always take the nipple and cap off before microwaving.

Shake the warmed bottle vigorously to distribute the heat.

Test the temperature of the formula by squirting some on your hand before serving it to the baby -- every time.

CLOSE PRINT

How to Warm a Baby Bottle Learn about the baby care rule everyone breaks. By the editors of Babytalk, Babytalk 61% of you admit to heating your baby's bottle in the microwave, despite all the warnings against doing so. Standard advice for heating a bottle is to let it sit in a pan of warm water in the sink for a few minutes until it reaches room temperature to avoid hot spots. But according to our Babytalk.com poll, time-pressed moms are nuking anyway. We asked half a dozen pediatricians and no one was eager to endorse the practice. If you do use a microwave, follow these safety precautions religiously, says Deborah Levine, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine: Warm the bottle for only about three to five seconds per ounce. Only use microwave-safe plastic bottles while heating. And always take the nipple and cap off before microwaving. Shake the warmed bottle vigorously to distribute the heat. Test the temperature of the formula by squirting some on your hand before serving it to the baby -- every time.